


Breaking Free

by BunniesofDoom



Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Friendship, Hugs, Hurt/Comfort, Kissing, Love Confessions, Mechanical Rose, Nuts and Dolts - Freeform, Penny Polendina Needs a Hug, Requited Love, Spoilers: Volume 8 (RWBY), Volume 8 (RWBY)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-16 19:00:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28961361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BunniesofDoom/pseuds/BunniesofDoom
Summary: "I know you're in there. You've got to snap out of this."
Relationships: Penny Polendina/Ruby Rose
Kudos: 35





	Breaking Free

**Author's Note:**

> Look I'll stop writing these what-ifs once volume 8 starts up again. Probably. I make no promises. I will go back to doing rambling liveblogs of the new episodes on my blog fandomdabbles, though. This is set after the first half of volume 8, so spoilers ahead. Enjoy!

Penny has never had a nightmare, but she imagines that if she were capable of having one it would feel a lot like this.

Her body moves without her control, leaving her only able to watch in horror as she advances on her friends, Floating Array at the ready. She wants to scream, to warn them, to stop herself, but nothing she does seems to make any difference. Control of her systems has been forcibly wrenched away from her, locking her out and leaving her a prisoner in her own body.

And Ruby, Blake, and Weiss aren't doing very well against her. For the most part, they simply try to dodge out of the way of her attacks, and when they do attempt to counter her, their attempts are weak, nowhere near their full strength. It must be hard for them to fight a friend. Penny knows that they don't want to hurt her, but she's also terrified that if they keep holding back, she's going to hurt them.

No matter how much she doesn't want to. The last thing Penny wants is to see her friends be harmed at her hands, but unfortunately she's not being given much of a choice in this situation.

At least whatever is controlling her hasn't managed to figure out how to access the maiden powers. Without them, Penny feels that she and her friends are just about evenly matched, especially since whoever or whatever is controlling her isn't used to operating her body, leaving her movements clumsier than normal. But she doesn't even want to imagine what would happen if she had to fight them using the power of the Winter Maiden.

Panic surges within her as Ruby barely dodges another blast from one of her laser attacks. "Run!" she wants to shout at her friend. "Get out of the way!" But Ruby doesn't run, instead using Crescent Rose to hastily block a strike from Penny's swords. Penny can tell that her friend is getting tired, and that even if she was willing to put her full strength into fighting against Penny, it wouldn't be enough.

A small part of her that's not reeling in horror at the current situation idly wonders where May is. The member of the Happy Huntresses had been with her friends when she left, after all. If Penny were in control during this fight (and wasn't being forced to fight her friends), she would be keeping a proverbial eye out for the blue-haired woman, using her heat sensors to detect anyone trying to hide from her sight.

Whatever force is controlling her doesn't seem to have realized that there's a fourth person that it needs to watch out for. Good.

That relief is short-lived as she watches herself knock Crescent Rose out of Ruby's hands. Her friend staggers back from the blow, eyes with horror. "No!" she shouts uselessly. She strains furiously for control of her body, and for a brief moment, she feels something give. For a fraction of a second, Penny can move her body, taking a step back away from Ruby.

But it's not enough, and Penny quickly feels her autonomy wrenched from her grasp once again. Just as she's about to sink into despair again, stuck watching her body raise her weapon and prepare to attack Ruby while she's unarmed, Ruby opens her mouth. "Now!" she shouts. Penny is suddenly grabbed from behind, a pair of invisible arms locking around her waist, freezing her in place. Her body attempts to whirl around to face her opponent, but May doesn't budge, holding fast.

"Checkmate!" Ruby commands, and Weiss and Blake ready their weapons. Blake hurls Gambol Shroud, wrapping the ribbon of her weapon around Penny like a rope, further securing her and preventing her from moving. And as May quickly takes a step back, Weiss casts a massive ice glyph, encasing Penny up to her chest in a wall of solid ice. She's trapped.

Her body attempts to wrench itself free as Ruby pushes herself to her feet, stepping forward until she's standing right in front of Penny. "Penny," she says, voice quiet, but full of determination. "I know you're in there. You've got to snap out of this."

"I can't," Penny would reply if she could. "I've been trying but I can't."

"I know you can do this," Ruby tells her. It's almost as if she can hear Penny's thoughts. "You did it earlier, didn't you? You took back control all on your own, even if it was just for a second. I know that it's hard, but you've got to try." Ruby takes Penny's hands in her own, squeezing them gently. Penny wishes that she could feel it. "Please, Penny. Come back to me."

So, Penny tries. For Ruby, but more importantly, for herself.

She strains frantically against the force controlling her, putting all her willpower into trying to push it out and wrench herself free. She will not allow herself to be used to hurt her friends anymore.

At first, it feels impossible, and Penny wants to give up, to scream in frustration. The presence inside of her doesn't seem phased by her struggles, refusing to budge against the pressure. But slowly, far too slowly, Penny can feel their control slipping, and herself gaining ground. She begins to fight even harder, Ruby murmuring words of encouragement the whole time.

And then, with one final massive push, it's gone. Penny's body belongs to her again. She sags in relief, letting out a sigh as she commands her right hand to move—and it responds the way it's supposed to. "Thank you, Ruby," Penny murmurs gratefully.

"Penny!" Ruby's head snaps up. "Is that really you?" When Penny nods, Ruby flings her arms around her shoulders, hugging her tightly. "I'm so glad that you're okay."

"I am, thanks to you," Penny replies. "I'm so sorry." The ice around her body is slowly starting to melt, Weiss evidently realizing that Penny is no longer a threat.

Ruby pulls back, shaking her head. "You've got nothing to apologize for. This wasn't your fault," she says firmly. "And there's no need to thank me. You're the one that broke free. You did that all by yourself. You're amazing, Penny." Her proud smile is the most beautiful thing that Penny has ever seen.

She decides that she can't wait one more minute before telling Ruby how she feels. "Ruby," she begins slowly. "I love you."

Her friend blinks in surprise, cheeks turning pink, and for a second Penny panics, thinking that she's made a horrible mistake. But then Ruby's grin widens. "I love you too," she says, before standing up on her toes to press a soft kiss to Penny's lips.

For a moment, everything is perfect. It's broken when they hear what sounds like an explosion outside. Ruby pulls back, frowning.

"What is it now?" Weiss complains. "Can't we just have five minutes without something terrible happening?"

Apparently not.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Please comment and leave kudos if you liked it.
> 
> Just a reminder that I do take requests for fics, so if there's an idea that you'd like to see me write, feel free to message me and if I like it, I might end up writing something for it.


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